Category: TV

Fear It Won’t Be Good

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Anyone planning to tune in to NBC’s new horror series, Fear Itself? The series is being billed as weekly one hour horror movies from the creators of “Saw,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “Freddy vs Jason” and some other recent scarefests. Truth be told, I plan to DVR the series, but I’m not expecting too much. Still, a little good horror goes a long way.

What ‘Cha Watching?

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I just read today that “Back to You” the FOX comedy starring Kelsey Grammer was cancelled. My guess is that most of you never caught an episode since low ratings killed it. I thought it was one of the funniest shows on and was surprised to find that it wouldn’t be brought back. It was really well written with an ensemble cast that meshed. I guess I should have posted about “Back to You” when it might have helped.

I was happy to see that “Boston Legal” and “Medium” have both been given the greenlight for new seasons. I’ve yet to see an episode of either show that let me down. “Til Death” is another show that I don’t miss. I can’t recommend it as unconditionally as “Boston Legal” or “Medium” but it does have it’s moments.

Of course my wife and I still watch “Survivor” [yeah, I think I WILL GIVE UP THE IMMUNITY NECKLACE!] and “American Idol” [which David will win? — my guess is Archuleta]. I’m still in front of the set each week when “The Ultimate Fighter” airs, but I think this season lacks a bit of the drama. Maybe it’s because they have two fights each episode and we don’t get to know enough about the fighters’ backgrounds. My newest favorite show is “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” which comes to us from the FOOD NETWORK. And you just know that I still dvr episodes of “The Wild, Wild West” off of RTN.

So, what am I missing?

Billie Jean by Any Name…

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One of the reasons that I enjoy watching American Idol is that occasionally one of the contestants will present a new version of a song that really works. Chris Daughtry’s “Walk the Line” and Blake Lewis’ “Time of the Season” are two examples. [Yeah, I know that Daughtry’s take was based on Live’s cover of the Johnny Cash classic.]

Recently David Cook took a shot Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. It was amazing. I was knocked out by David’s Cook’s “Billie Jean”. It was bold, innovative and actually Chris Cornell’s “Billie Jean”. Shades of Daughtry.

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

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CBS has announced that Jericho has been cancelled. This is pretty sad news for fans [myself included] who’ve followed the show since episode one.Jericho was one of those shows that seemed to gain momentum as the season progressed. The season one premiere left me feeling that Jericho had a great concept, and the potential to be really good or it go the opposite direction and become a “new romance / save one of the townsfolk” of the week dramas. Instead it became a compelling vision of life in a small town cut off from the rest of the country after the US was the victim of multiple nuclear attacks. Increasingly, I found myself anticipating each new episode. I was sad to learn that Jericho was cancelled at the end of the first season.

Of course we’re all aware that Jericho was saved by a massive fan base and brought back for an abbreviated season two. Unfortunately, season two got off to a slow start. There was a new focus — instead of being about how the folks of Jericho were going to survive life after nuclear attacks, the show took a broader canvas and became about how the country would survive a potential overthrow from within. The change was jarring, but for those of us who stayed with Jericho, we were treated to a show that had the potential to be even better than the first season. I was diggin’ the direction of the show and again looking forward to each new episode.

Unfortunately, Jericho has been cancelled yet again. One thing I’ve learned from the show and it’s fan base, is it ain’t over until it’s over. Hopefully Jericho will find new life on a different network [perhaps the SCIFI channel?] and the story will continue to unfold. If so, I’ll be coming along for the ride.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

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I love my job, but if I was looking for a new one, I’d like a gig like Guy Fieri’s. Fieri is host of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives which airs on The Food Network. He travels the country visiting the best eatin’ establishments meeting the show title’s criteria and gets the lowdown on the grub and those makin’ it.

Yeah, I could go for a job like that!

RIP: Allan Melvin

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I just discovered via Mark Evanier’s site that Allan Melvin passed away last Thursday. While you may not know his name, I’ll bet you’ll know his face. Melvin was probably best known as “Sam the Butcher” from the Brady Bunch, but there was a time when Melvin was, as Mark Evanier states, “in everything.”
Melvin appeared repeatedly on “The Phil Silvers Show,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Andy Griffith Show” [my favorite Melvin guest roles], “Gomer Pyle,” “Lost in Space,” “All in the Family” and so many more shows. He made every show he was on just a little bit better just by being there.Mr. Melvin was 84 years old and is survived by his wife, his daughter, his grandson and many fans. My thoughts and prayers go out to them all.

Marx Best of the West

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Boy, did the tv commercial below bring back some great memories. When I was a kid growing up in the 60’s, I loved my action figures. My favorites were General Custer, Johnny West and Chief Cherokee all from Marx’s Best of the West Series. Hard to believe how many hours I spent playing with them… and my guess is kids today would enjoy them if we could pry them away from their video games.


 

RIP: Maila "Vampira" Nurmi

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Maila Nurmi, better known as Vampira, passed away yesterday at the age of 86. Although few would recognize Ms. Nurmi’s name, almost everyone knows her “Vampira” character.
Maila Nurmi was born in Finland, but moved to the US with her family while still in her teens. Maila dreamed of stardom on the silver screen and headed for Hollywood.  Although romantically linked to Marlon Brando, Orson Welles and even James Dean, it was a masquerade ball in 1954 that led to her pop culture iconic status. Maila attended dressed as Mortica Addams [from Charles Addams New Yorker cartoons which later became the basis for the popular Addams Family tv series]. Maila won the contest by beating out nearly 2,000 other contestants.
Maila made such an impact that several months later she was offered the role as host of KABC’s late Saturday night horror movies. With a few costume modifications and new name, Vampira was born! Maila and the show were an instant hit and provided the framework for all of the horror hosts that would follow. Vampira was profiled in Life and Newsweek [within a month of each other] and Maila began guesting on nationally syndicated shows. She was even nominated as the “Most Outstanding Female Personality of 1954” by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.Judging by her impact on popular culture, you’d probably think that Vampira’s horror host role lasted years, immediately led to movies, comics, and more — but you’d be wrong. Despite the show being a smash hit,.it lasted just over a year. Some say that Maila was difficult to work with, while others say that the FCC and network blackballed her due to her on-air comments and double entendres.

Maila did make appearances in a few movies after her tv show was cancelled; most notably Ed Wood’s infamous “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” Maila left show business in the early 60’s, but her spirit lived on through the antics of dozens of other horror hosts such as Zacherley, Sammy Terry, and even Elvira [who was later unsuccessfully sued by Maila]. With the growth of the goth movement, the “popularity” of “Plan 9” and Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” film, Maila enjoyed renewed popularity in her later years.

It appears that Maila died leaving behind no family members. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and many fans.